Mark Madden: Harshest critics of Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger might be right
Former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum doesn’t think Ben Roethlisberger is going to have a good season. Quite the opposite, in fact: “(Roethlisberger) is going to be bad, and I expect him to be benched by the middle of the season. He’s had a great career. It’s over.”
Tannenbaum, speaking on ESPN, rubbed salt in the wound with stats and facts: “In 2015, Roethlisberger was third in the NFL in yards per pass attempt. Last year, at 38 years old, he was 31st. He just checked the ball down.”
Who’d Tannenbaum ever beat? His stints as an executive with NFL teams amounted to zilch.
But he might be right. (But Roethlisberger won’t get benched. If he stinks and the Pittsburgh Steelers stink, Roethlisberger will be “hurt.” If he’s not really hurt.)
The Steelers have won three playoff games in the past 10 years. They have collapsed in each of the last three seasons. They have an unfocused culture. They have a coach who has stayed past his sell-by date. They haven’t won a postseason game since after the 2016 season.
Roethlisberger, 39, is a nailed-on Hall of Famer with impeccable credentials. But respected analysts like Peter King and Mike Florio have questioned the wisdom of him playing in 2021.
Florio: “When they get to November or December, (the Steelers, Roethlisberger or both) will regret the last ride of Ben Roethlisberger.”
Few experts think the Steelers will make the playoffs, let alone win the AFC North. Some rate Roethlisberger the division’s worst starting quarterback.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers and Roethlisberger can’t prove the doubters wrong.
But it’s very reasonable to doubt.
The Steelers, their owner, their GM, their coach, their quarterback, all of their players and the entire organization shouldn’t be Teflon anymore. At some point, you’ve got to pay the rent.
See the Steelers as they are. Not as they were in 2010, or as you want them to be.
That’s tough for marks to do.
But come November or December, you may not have a choice.
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